A group of five children in a classroom, smiling at the camera, with some seated at a wooden table and others standing. There are papers and a small pumpkin on the table. The children wear school uniforms and appear to be participating in a craft or school project.

Why Inclusion

“I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!”
- Psalm 139:14 

Why Inclusion Matters

Inclusion of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Catholic education is consistent with Catholic social teaching on the dignity of every human life. Catholic tradition upholds that every human life is sacred and worthy of respect as the bedrock of a just society. This is not a passive teaching; it is a call to create communities and social systems that reflect the underlying love and divinity of each person. 

In the 1940’s, the Archdiocese of St. Louis pioneered Catholic education for children with disabilities by implementing the nation’s first “special school district” of separate elementary, secondary, and technical schools. While this was a positive step, a decline in Catholic school enrollment and subsequent financial pressure prevented long-term sustainability.

Further, educational research over the course of 40 years began to show higher academic performance, better social-emotional development, and more positive long-term benefits for all students in an academically inclusive environment.

A group of people sitting around a table in a library, engaged in conversation. A man in a beige suit and green bowtie sits on the left, a girl with long red hair wearing a red shirt is in the middle, and a boy in a navy blue shirt is on the right. Bookshelves are in the background.
Join the Mission

In short? All students benefit from an inclusive education.

One Classroom’s collaborative ecosystem alleviates the pain points of limited human and fiscal resources in Catholic schools, while realizing the value of placing students with special needs alongside their peers at Catholic schools.

Two girls in school uniforms, one in a plaid skirt and another in a tartan skirt, smiling and standing close together under a porch with brick walls, with trees and parked cars in the background.
A girl and a boy posing in front of a brick wall. The girl is wearing a navy blue shirt and a plaid skirt, standing on a pile of bricks with her arms crossed and smiling. The boy is wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki shorts, standing on the bricks with his hands behind his back and smiling.
A girl and a boy posing in front of a brick wall. The girl is wearing a navy blue shirt and a plaid skirt, standing on a pile of bricks with her arms crossed and smiling. The boy is wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki shorts, standing on the bricks with his hands behind his back and smiling.

By optimizing existing infrastructure at Catholic schools, One Classroom inclusion programs provide:

  • A Catholic education for students of all abilities with on-site therapies and services;

  • Support of Catholic school enrollment by enabling families of children with disabilities to send all of their children to the same school; 

  • Easily accessible and personalized training for administrators, educators and pastors to facilitate program integration;

  • A fresh perspective on long-held beliefs that inclusive education only benefits children with disabilities, that a child’s disability defines his/her identity, and that schools lack the resources to accommodate these children;

  • An environment that reduces the stigma experienced by individuals with disabilities who are academically, socially, emotionally and physically segregated; and 

  • The promotion of a more just, equitable and inclusive society, increased empathy and acceptance of individual disabilities by breaking down barriers among peers. 

“Aiden is just Aiden, one of my classmates. We all have gifts and a purpose in life. I don’t know what my purpose is, and I don’t know what Aiden’s is. All I know is that Aiden has gifts and a purpose in life, and it’s just as important as mine.”

- Student, Incarnate Word Catholic School